Family Bonds
by Eloise Maladi
Summary: Twin siblings Mercy and Michelangelo appear in Mystic Falls, looking for their stolen mother, and hoping to find their estranged father. Their arrival stirs unease among those in Mystic Falls as a long-buried secret comes to light.
1. Chapter 1

Mystic Falls. A place of mystery, of danger, of the supernatural. The home of vampires, of werewolves, of witches.

And that special population just increased by one.

She walked into town with a hood drawn over her face, Shadows would only work in her favor. It may be suspicious, yes, but she needed to hide. There were some people she just didn't want to know she was here. Yet.

It wasn't her they would know, but her mother. Still, she wasn't sure if her scent was different enough from her mother's that it wouldn't draw the suspicions of any werewolf, or vampire. If not her scent, then her looks would. She was the spitting image of her mother. Save her eyes. Those were all her father's.

She glanced at the various storefronts as she strolled through the town square. She had never been to Mystic Falls before, even though she had grown up in the town of Viper, only about an hour's drive away.

When she came across the Mystic Grill, she paused a moment outside its doors. She hadn't eaten since that morning. It was only five in the evening, but she decided that an early dinner wouldn't hurt her any. In fact, it might be just what she needed.

She pulled back her hood, just enough so that her face could be seen as she wove her way through the various patrons of the diner. As she found herself at the bar, her stomach emitted a demanding growl, making her realize just how hungry she had become since breakfast.

"What'll it be?" She looked up to see who had spoken. An employee, whose name tag read 'Matt'.

"Just a burger," she answered. "A little on the medium rare side, if you don't mind," she added, sending him a slight smile.

He chuckled, a smile spreading over his features as he nodded. "Medium rare burger, you got it. Anything to drink?"

She shrugged before looking over the various alcohols lined up on the shelf behind him. "Bourbon?" she queried, arching an eyebrow lightly towards Matt.

"I'll need to see some I.D.," Matt pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she chuckled, pulling a wallet from the pocket of her hoodie. She flipped it open, checking over the I.D. herself for a moment before showing it to Matt.

The bartender examined the card through the plastic coating it for a few moments, then nodded as he turned to grab a bottle of Bourbon, and a drinking glass. "You're in luck. We've got a lot of Bourbon drinkers in this town, so it's always in stock."

The new girl offered a laugh in reply. "Yeah, I heard it was a choice drink among certain members of the populace," she admitted, her eyes sparkling with a playful secret. She had no way of knowing what Matt did or did not know about the special population of Mystic Falls.

"Here you go," Matt offered, placing a plate with her medium rare burger down next to a glass of Bourbon. "So, you got a name?" he asked, not having thought to catch that when he looked at her license.

"Sure," she shrugged, taking a drink of her Bourbon. She watched Matt as he took a towl from his shoulder and wiped down an area of the bar where other patrons had been sitting. "But where's the fun in telling? You haven't even asked if I have a boyfriend yet," she pointed out. She was only teasing him of course, as could be seen by her playful smile.

"Well, I guess I like to get to know a girl before I get in her jeans," Matt suggested with an amused smirk.

This caused her smile to widen into a gr4in. He had a fair point. "Mercy," she supplied. "My name is Mercy Alexander."

"Matthew Donovan," Matt replied, holding his hand out towards Mercy.

Mercy smiled as she accepted the outstretched arm to shake. "So, Matthew Donovan," she started with a flirtatious tone, "you from around here?"

"You kidding? Never set food outside of Mystic Falls in my life," he answered, starting to clean out a glass that had been abandoned still half full of whiskey. "What about you?"

"Oh, you know," Mercy answered vaguely, lifting her shoulders in a shrug as she took another drink before turning to her food.

"No, actually, I don't. That's why I asked," Matt prompted.

She had to cover her mouth with her hand to remain decent, but she nodded in a manner that clearly said 'fair enough.' He did have a point, after all. Although, she'd never had that response before. "First night in town. I've lived in Viper my whole life, but never set foot in Mystic Falls before this evening," she explained, casting her gaze around the diner as she spoke.

"Really? Well, what brought you here, if I might ask?" he questioned. The girl before him picked his curiosity to no end.

"I'm looking for somebody," Mercy admitted. "All I have to go on is a name and a really old picture. In fact, I'm not even sure if they're still in this town, but it's the only lead I have. I guess a lot of people may give up with those odds, but I've waited a long time to meet him."

Who is he? Maybe I could help," Matt offered. Like he said, he'd never set food outside of Mystic Falls. He knew just about everyone that lived there.

Mercy smiled at the offer of help, but shook her head anyway. "Thanks, but I've got sources of my own," she declined, standing up and pulling out her wallet. It was getting late, and the dinner crowd would be swarming soon. "How much?" she asked, sifting through her cash on hand.

Matt shook his head with a slight smile towards the strange newcomer before him. "No charge. It's on the house this time. Consider it a welcome gift," he chuckled, starting to clear away her dishes.

"Thanks, Matt," Mercy smiled, knocking back the rest of her Bourbon before she continued her walk down the streets of Mystic Falls.

* * *

"Come on, Tyler, it's the start of Senior year! It's going to be the best time of our lives!" Caroline insisted, grinning as she tugged on her boyfriend's arm.

The young werewolf rolled his eyes playfully as he looked down at the vampire beside him. She was always looking for the next adventure, the next party. Senior year would be her next big conquest.

"Just think about it! Me, you, Bonnie, Elena, Stefan, this is our time to rule the hallways," she insisted.

"I love how you're talking and dreaming about a normal high school experience when we're not exactly normal high school students," Tyler pointed out, shaking his head lightly.

Caroline was about to reply to him, but her focus on Tyler caused a lack of focus on the sidewalk ahead of her. Before words found her, she collided with another girl walking down the street. "Hey!" she shouted as she stumbled back. Meanwhile, the other girl was thrown to the ground.

Tyler knelt to help the girl up, and as they stood, he got the first good look at her face. "Mercy?" he asked, his eyes widening as recognition dawned on him.

"Oh, hey Tyler," Mercy grinned. It had been quite some time since she had seen the young werewolf. "I was just heading over to your mom's office to het directions to your house. I'm still free to stay there while I'm in town, right?"

"Of course, anytime. I can take you there myself, though, it's on our way, he offered with a smile. "What are you doing in Mystic Falls?"

"Hold on a minute!" Caroline demanded. "What the hell is going on?"

* * *

"That's awful," Caroline frowned, sitting across from Mercy. Whatever task she had been dragging Tyler towards had been forgotten.

"Do you know who's behind this?" Tyler asked, leaning forward to rest his arms against his thighs.

Mercy shook her head helplessly. "No. Mike and I woke up about a week ago, and Mom was gone. She never leaves without telling us, and she's not the only one who disappeared."

Tyler nodded slowly, thinking over the information he's been given. "Where is Mike?"

"He stayed in Viper to do some research until I could confirm you and your mom were still here," Mercy explained. "Now that I know you're here, he'll probably be down tomorrow."

"And, is he a werewolf, too?" Caroline asked. She had known that Tyler had gone to other packs, but she had never known any were so close, especially since he had never told her about Mercy and her twin brother.

Mercy nodded slowly, staring down at her hands. "Yeah, we awakened the gene in 1880, if I remember right. It's been so long, the years just kind of meld together."

Caroline involuntarily shuddered. There was a big difference in knowning she would live that long, and actually living that long. When would she start to lose track of the years that passed?

"So what made you think to come to Mystic Falls?" Tyler asked.

Mercy looked down at her hands, playing her her fingers. "My mom always talked about this place. If it wasn't for our pack, I think we would have moved here a long time ago. I know she used to visit when she was young, and even while Michelangelo and I were growing up, but…"

As Mercy trailed off, Tyler reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. It's okay. You have friends here, we can help."

"You know," Caroline said as she looked up at Mercy, "we have a get together we're going to. Maybe there are some people there that could help you out."

Mercy Smiled at the offer and slowly nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice, thanks." Now that she was here in Mystic Falls, with people willing to help her, she was beginning to think that they would actually have a chance to find her mother after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Michelangelo's eyes were heavy as he stared at the screen of his computer. He reached for his mug of coffee, forcing down the last of the cold liquid as he opened a new tab to follow a different rabbit trail.

The door creaked open behind him, and as he turned, he had to squint against the fluorescent light flooding the room. It took a few seconds before his eyes adjusted to see his wife walking towards him.

"You've been here all day. Any luck?"

Michelangelo sighed and shook his head, turning back to his computer as his wife placed a fresh cup of coffee beside him. "Not yet. It would be easier if I had some sort of evidence to go off of, but whoever took mom really knew how to cover their tracks," he explained, leaning back in his chair. "I don't know where to look anymore, Gwen."

Gwen, or Genevieve as she was formally named, looked over the screen her husband was scrolling through, her hands resting on his shoulders. Mike may have been able to make sense of the code he was manipulating, but Gwen could not. She was a law student, not a STEM student. "You'll figure it out," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But until then, Mercy called. She ran into Tyler and secured you both a place to stay in Mystic Falls."

Mike slowly nodded as he finished typing out a line of code. When he was through, he began the tedious process of saving the minuscule progress he had made "Better go join her then," he yawned, running his hand over his face. As he noticed Gwen shaking her head from his peripheral, he cast his gaze towards her and arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"You shouldn't be going anywhere without some rest," Gwen insisted "You're exhausted, and you'll be no help to them out there like this." She was right, and they both knew it. However, Michelangelo was a stubborn one. As demonstrated by the way he reached over to the coffee his wife had brought him and took a drink without breaking eye contact with her.

"Says the one who's been bringing me caffeine to keep me awake," he pointed out. However, as he noticed the sickly sweet smile she wore, he paused. "What did you do?" he demanded, setting down the coffee mug.

Gwen chuckled and kissed him as she grabbed the old mug he had been using. "That's your third cup of decaf. And I laced it with Niquil. Sleep well."

Mike could only stare in shock as Gwen left him in the fading dusk of his computer room. Had he really been so out of it that he hadn't tasted the switch between regular and decaf? With a soft chuckle, he began to pack up his laptop to be ready for the trip he was taking. First, however, sleep was a necessity.

* * *

"So who's Gwen?" Caroline asked curiously once Mercy had hung up the phone. The other woman has said that she was going to call her brother, but that was certainly not who she had been talking to.

"Gwen? She's Mike's wife," Mercy explained, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. "He's been up all night and all day long for information, so she's going to try and force him to get some sleep before he heads over."

"No kidding?" Tyler asked with a grin. "Good for him. He needed a woman to get him out of his shell. Though, he's pretty stubborn from what I remember. You sure she can force him to go to bed?"

Mercy laughed and shook her head. "Oh, Gwen has her ways, believe you me." Yes, her brother was as stubborn as they come, but Gwen had him wrapped around her finger.

As they neared the edge of the forests that surrounded Mystic Falls, Mercy began to look around more, trying to spot where she was being led. "So where is this get-together happening?" she asked as they stepped into the tree line.

"The cemetery. It's a pretty good place to party, if not a little macabre," Tyler explained.

"Oh? I'd that just a vampire thing? 'Cause it feels pretty at for a bunch of dead people to pay in a cemetery," Mercy grinned.

Caroline laughed and shook her head. Mercy had a point there. "No, no. We were partying there long before we even knew about vampires, let alone before I became one."

Mercy arched an eyebrow curiously at Caroline's choice of wording. "You're the only vampire in Mystic Falls?" she asked. That was surprising.

"Oh no, there are two other vampires, but they were vampires when we met them," Caroline said. "I mean, there was another girl that was changed, but, she was killed not long after that."

"Wow. For a small town, there's been a lot of action, huh?" Mercy chuckled, though her voice was hollow. "Have there been any … strange disappearances? Like in Viper?"

Tyler shook his head, sending Mercy and apologetic glance. "No, nothing like that. What is there to link everyone that went missing?"

Mercy sighed, gently chewing on her lip. "They're all werewolves from the pack. And all of them have activated the gene. Other than that, it's random. Some are fresh converts, some have been around for well over a century. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it." It was troubling enough with all the disappearances, but the so-called randomness was even worse for Mercy. Who knew who the next target would be?

Tyler's footsteps slowed as they neared the cemetery, trying to piece together the information he'd been given. "Have you tried contacting other packs? Maybe some of the others are experiencing strange vanishing acts as well?"

Mercy shook her head with a heavy sigh. "No, we haven't. Our pack is fairly isolated. Besides your pack, we try to avoid other werewolves. The elders like it better that way," she explained. "They believe that isolation is safer, but now I'm not so sure."

"Can't you go off on your own? Contact other packs yourself?" Caroline asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's not that simple, Care," Tyler sighed. "Something like that could get her exiled from her pack. They're very old-fashioned."

Mercy nodded in confirmation. "And I don't have any contacts in other packs. I'd be seen as a threat and attacked on sight."

She may not have had the contacts, but Tyler did. "I can check around and talk to the other packs in the area if you'd like."

Mercy smiled warmly and nodded, giving her old friend a brief hug. "Thank you, Tyler. That would help tremendously."

There were already people setting things up in the graveyard when the trio arrived. Most of them looked up and smiled as they noticed Tyler and Caroline.

"Hey, guys!" Elena smiled as she walked over to the three. "Who's this?" she asked, observed Mercy curiously.

"Oh, I'm Mercy," Mercy responded, extending a hand to Elena. "The Lockwood's are old family friends. I came to get some help with a few things."

Elena shook Mercy's hand and chuckled softly. "Well any friend of Tyler's is a friend of ours," she insisted. "What do you need help with? Is there anything we can do?"

Mercy shifted her weight and glanced towards Tyler. He knew these people, she didn't.

"It's okay, they know about us," Tyler explained, giving his friend a little more ease over the situation. It could be hard knowing who to trust sometimes.

Mercy slowly grabbed her wallet as the confused Elena was joined by Bonnie and Jeremy. Pulling out a photograph dated October 7th, 1862, she reluctantly passed it to the people around her. "I'm looking for the man to the right in this picture. He's very important to me, and I think he may be my best bet in solving my problem."

The group of five looked confused, but wary as well. The longest minute if Mercy's immortal life passed before Bonnie began to speak.

"That's—"

As quickly as Bonnie had begun to speak, she was cut off by the newest arrivals to the scene.

"Hey, Elena! Where do you want these beers?" Stefan asked as he entered the graveyard. He carried two cases of the alcoholic beverage, and behind him was his older brother Damon with an additional three.

Elena hesitated for a moment, trying to devise a plan of attack. "Over by the gazebo," she finally answered.

Tyler glanced over to Mercy as the Salvatore brothers arrived, only to notice her staring at the two in awe as they came closer after their delivery.

At least, until they noticed her. Bother tensed up, freezing in their tracks as they stared at her like she was a ghost. Damon was the first to meet the strange girl's eyes. Where he hoped to see amber, there were only pale blue irises staring back at him.

'Not her,' he thought, his eyes narrowing as he folded his arms over his chest. "Who are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Mercy mouth hung agape for a moment, finding herself unable to form words as she handed Demon the picture the others had been passing around beforehand.

Stefan was looking over his brother's shoulder as the elder Salvatore examined the picture depicting both brothers on either side of a young woman. The limited detail of the black and white photograph, all that could be seen of the girl was that she had darker skin and lighter hair than both.

"Where did you get this?" Damon demanded as he turned the picture back towards Mercy, his knuckles white with tension.

"My mother gave it to me," Mercy explained with a deep breath. "My name is Mercy Alexander, and I'm your daughter."

Whether Damon was particularly surprised by this or not was hard to tell as he closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. Taking a deep breath, he looked to Mercy once more, his expression hard. "Where's Alaina?"

"Right here?" Elena answered as she shot a confused glance to Damon. He knew where she was.

"Not you," Damon answered, his eyes never leaving the blonde werewolf in front of him. Her face was so hauntingly familiar. "A-L-A-I-N-A, Alaina Catherine Cashlin."

"My mother," Mercy started, her throat closing up under the harsh gaze of her father. "My mother was kidnapped. Along with several other members of my pack. We came all the way here–"

"Wait, 'we'? who is 'we'?" Damon demanded. Mercy flinched under his tone, and Tyler stepped up to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Mercy has a twin brother, Michelangelo. He'll be in Mystic Falls tomorrow." Everyone present was tense and they watched Damon. The last thin they needed was a rampaging vampire on the loose.

The elder Salvatore still wore an unreadable expression, and while his friends may have known to let him cool off, Mercy knew nothing of the man she had dreamed of meeting in person for so long. "Mom talked about you all the time," she said, stepping closer to Damon and out of Tyler's defensive grip. "If Mystic Falls was mentioned, you were brought up not long after. When our step-dad died in 1917, she tried to find you again, for years. She really loves you."

Damon's glare nearly doubled in intensity, but Mercy refused to back down this time. She stood tall, holding her father's stubborn gaze with her own. It was Damon who broke the stare as he turned and began stalking out of the cemetery. "If you're looking for my help, you can tell your brother to stay home."

Mercy set her jaw as she began to follow him, ready to please her case. Until Stefan reached out to stop her. "Let him go, there's no use talking to him like this."

As disappointing as the notion was, Mercy realized Stefan would know his brother better than anyone present. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked, defeat in her eyes as she lifted her gaze to her uncle.

"We'll get Damon to come around, eventually," Jeremy insisted. Mercy had startled when she heard his voice. The others had been so quiet, she'd nearly forgotten they were there at all.

"Yeah, if you bug Damon long enough, he'll come around," Bonnie said with a soft chuckle. "Just have to wait for the initial anger to die down and go from there."

Mercy looked around at these total strangers willing to help her gain the trust of a father that never even knew she existed. She was starting to understand why her mother loved Mystic Falls so much.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Stefan asked, moving his hand up to Mercy's shoulder. "You'll always be welcome at our home."

Mercy smiled at her uncle, but shook her head as she stepped back beside Tyler. "Until my father can accept my brother and myself as family, I think it would be better for us to stay with Tyler and his mom."

Stefan gave her an understanding smile and slid his hands into his pockets. "Your mom was a great girl. I hope we can find her before something happens to her."

Mercy perked up as Stefan mention her mother. Her focus lasered in on her uncle so much that she didn't notice as the others began to drift away to continue setting up for the party that night. "You knew my mom?" she asked. It only took a moment before she was mentally berating herself over the question. Of course he knew her mother. He would have met her the same time Damon did.

"Yeah, her dad came to Mystic Falls to do business with our family, and she would come along sometimes. We didn't see her much the first few times the came by, but after a few weeks she warmed up to us," he explained as he crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight back.

"Mom was shy?" Mercy asked with a raised eyebrow. Her mother had never been shy, not as far as she could recall at least.

"Stefan chuckled and nodded. "She was shy, yes. Though saying that, Damon definitely didn't mind that little fact. She was … mysterious. And Damon liked that."

"Really?" She couldn't tell if this information comforted her or not. Sure, Damon had been interested in her mother back in 1862, but that meant neither that he loved her nor that he would still be interested in her all these years later. Both must have changed immensely in the past hundred and fifty years. But that wasn't the point. She wasn't here to get her parents back together. She just wanted her mother back.

"Oh definitely. Damon asked her to a dance one day, and after that hardly a week went by where we didn't see her," he explained. "A few months go by and her visit s start decreasing, so Damon went ahead and decided to as our dad to speak to hers about getting engaged."

Mercy's eyes widened at this information. Obviously that particular deal had fallen through. "What happened?"

"Well, the next time Mr. Cashlin was in town, our father brought it up to him, and allegedly he said that he didn't want his daughter in Mystic Falls anymore. We always figured it meant that he didn't want her around us, but we never knew why."

Mercy gave a heavy sigh and a slow nod towards Stefan. "It was us. Mom used to tell us how once she got pregnant with us that her dad tried to hide her away. I guess I can understand it since it was the 1860's, and she was his only child, and all that, but it kind of sucks to know that they could have been together if not for Mike and I."

Stefan shrugged in response. "It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If it hadn't happened, Damon may not have been turned into a vampire. Probably would have lived a mortal life, and then he wouldn't be around today to help you find Alaina."

After all, everything happened for a reason. Those reasons may not have always been clear, but the were there all the same.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Please let me preface this by saying I had NEVER see The Vampire Diaries before I created the character of Alaina Catherine Cashlin. When I did finally start watching the show and realized there was both an Elena, and a Katherine, it kinda threw me thorugh a loop! But since Alaina, in her original work, was in a relationship with a character portrayed by Ian Somerholder, I decided to port her over when I came up with this fic. You can believe me or not, that's your own choice!**


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